Parking arrangement for motor vehicles

ABSTRACT

In a parking arrangement for motor vehicles, having at least one platform for receiving a motor vehicle that is mounted in a vertically displaceable manner on a guide and can be raised and lowered by means of a lifting device, having a stop for limiting the lowering movement of the platform and having a synchronizing device for generating a similar raising and lowering movement at opposite sides of the platform, in order to obtain a construction that is as simple as possible yet fully functional, it is proposed that the lifting device acts upon only one side of the platform and the stop is disposed only on the opposite side of the platform.

This application is a continuation of international application number PCT/EP2007/002628 filed on Mar. 24, 2007.

The present disclosure relates to the subject matter disclosed in international application PCT/EP2007/002628 of Mar. 24, 2007, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety and for all purposes.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a parking arrangement for motor vehicles, having at least one platform for receiving a motor vehicle that is mounted in a vertically displaceable manner on a guide and can be raised and lowered by means of a lifting device, having a stop for limiting the lowering movement of the platform and having a synchronizing device for generating an identical raising and lowering movement at opposite sides of the platform.

Parking arrangements of this type are used to accommodate as many motor vehicles as possible on as small a location as possible, for example a plurality of such platforms may be disposed above each other, of which then selectively only one may be connected to an entry.

It is customary to arrange for the platforms, which at opposite sides are guided in a vertically displaceable manner in a guide, to be raised and lowered as uniformly as possible at both sides by the lifting device, for which purpose the opposite sides of the platform are normally acted upon in each case by individual lifting devices that are operated in synchronism. Even in this case, synchronizing devices are necessary if the platform is unevenly loaded as a result of non-uniform use or as a result of uneven weight distribution of the motor vehicle disposed on the platform, a synchronizing device then preventing the more heavily loaded side of the platform from lowering to a greater extent than the less heavily loaded side.

It is also usual to relieve the lifting device by setting the platforms down onto stops that are disposed at opposite sides of the platform. This may occur in each rest position of the platform, i.e. for example in the lowermost position, but possibly also in the uppermost position.

The object of the invention is to simplify the design of a parking arrangement of the described type and nevertheless retain the full operating capability.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In a parking arrangement of the initially described type, this object is achieved according to the invention in that the lifting device acts upon only one side of the platform and the stop is disposed only at the opposite side of the platform.

The use of only one lifting device at one side of the platform does admittedly possibly lead to a non-uniform raising of the platform but this non-uniform raising is compensated by the synchronizing device, so that by means of the synchronizing device the platform is nevertheless raised and lowered in an identical manner at both opposite sides. The use of only one lifting device however allows a substantial simplification of the construction, in particular allowing the supply lines to the lifting device, be they electric, pneumatic or hydraulic supply lines, to be disposed at only one side of the platform, with the result that a considerable potential saving may be achieved by the merely one-sided installation of these supply lines alone.

The use of only one stop at the opposite side to the lifting device leads moreover to a marked simplification of the design, allowing the platform at the opposite side to remain, thanks to the synchronizing device, support-free, wherein normally the lifting device nevertheless contributes to a certain extent towards support, so that it is useful to dispose the stop at the opposite side to the lifting device.

The overall result is therefore a considerably simplified design, and yet during the raising and lowering movements the synchronous operation at opposite sides as well as a uniform support of the platform in a rest position is guaranteed.

It is advantageous if the synchronizing device is a rotatable torsion shaft, which extends from one side of the platform to the other and which at both sides of the platform meshes by means of a respective gearwheel with a stationary and vertically disposed gear rack or chain.

The lifting device may be for example a hydraulically or pneumatically operating piston-cylinder unit.

According to a preferred embodiment it is provided that the guide comprises two pillars, which are disposed at opposite sides of the platform and along which the platform is displaceable in a guided manner.

In particular, the lifting device may be disposed on one of the pillars, with the result that for the lifting device only a few retaining devices are necessary, a substantial retaining function being implemented by the pillars. A further result of this is a very low spatial requirement for lifting device and guide.

It is advantageous if the stop is disposed on one of the pillars, so that no additional spatial requirement arises as a result of this either.

The stop may be adjustable in order to set the rest position of the platform precisely. Rest position in this case denotes any position, in which the platform stops after a raising or lowering movement, wherein this may be the lowermost position, the uppermost position or alternatively an intermediate position if the platform may be raised and/or lowered via a plurality of mutually adjacent portions.

The stop may in this case be removed from the path of movement of the platform and brought back into its initial position to allow the platform to be moved past a stop during the raising- and the lowering movement, the stop coming into effect only upon attainment of the corresponding rest position and then being brought back into the position, in which it supports the platform.

In a particularly preferred embodiment, the stop is height-adjustable in accordance with the respective position of the platform so that the platform rests on the stop in each rest position. The stop therefore practically travels with the platform and supports the platform in the respective rest position thereof, whether this is for example in the top end position or for example in a bottom end position. This results in enhanced security against the failure of individual components of the parking arrangement. In the event of failure of the synchronizing shaft, the platform is supported in its respective rest position by the lifting device, on the one hand, and the stop, on the other hand, and in the event of failure of the lifting device, the platform is supported on both sides and held securely in the respective rest position by the stop, on the one hand, and the synchronizing device, on the other hand.

The drive for the height adjustability of the stop may be an independent drive, for example an electric drive, but it is also possible to arrange for the adjustment to be carried out by the movement of the platform itself and then to fix the stop in a rest position of the platform only at one guide of the stop in order to be able to exercise the support function in the end position of the platform.

In a particularly preferred embodiment, the stop is removable from the path of movement of the platform and re-introducible into the path of movement, for example by means of a pivotal movement of the stop, so that during raising and lowering the platform may be moved past the stop, while the stop after attainment of the rest position is situated under the platform and supports the platform.

It is further advantageous if the gear racks or chains of the synchronizing device are disposed on the two pillars. This too results in a reduced spatial requirement because, given such a development, all of the essential functions for raising and lowering the platforms are disposed on the pillars of the guide, there then being no need for additional elements at other locations.

It is particularly advantageous if the parking arrangement comprises a plurality of mutually adjacent, substantially identically constructed platforms and if the lifting devices of in each case two mutually adjacent platforms are disposed at the mutually opposing sides of the platforms. This facilitates the feed of the supply lines to the lifting devices because lifting devices need be disposed in each case only in every other gap between two platforms, while in the intervening gaps no lifting devices are provided and so there is no need to install supply lines in these gaps either.

The following description of preferred embodiments of the invention serves, in conjunction with the drawings, to provide a detailed explanation.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1: is a perspective view of a parking platform (without floor surface) in the raised state;

FIG. 2: is a perspective view of the parking arrangement of FIG. 1 from a rotated viewing angle and

FIG. 3: is a further view of the parking arrangement of FIG. 1 from a further rotated viewing angle.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The parking arrangement 1 for motor vehicles that is illustrated in the drawings comprises a plurality of platforms 2, only one of which is illustrated in the drawings, while an adjacent platform 2 is indicated merely by a lateral strut 3. The platforms substantially comprise two lateral struts 3, 4, which run parallel to one another and are reinforced by transverse struts 5, 6. A floor surface, which for greater clarity is not included in the drawings, is laid onto the transverse struts 5. Merely for the purpose of indicating the floor surface, undulating portions 7 along the transverse struts 5, 6 are illustrated, which form parts of the floor surface and actually extend over the entire width between the lateral struts 3, 4.

Disposed on both sides of the platform 2 are two vertical pillars 8, 9, on which the platform 2 is mounted so as to be vertically displaceable, for example by means of a slide that is not illustrated in detail in the drawings and is movable on the pillars 8, 9.

Disposed on and alongside one of the two pillars is a piston-cylinder unit 10, which is supported on the ground and the extendable piston 11 of which is connected to one of the lateral struts 3, 4 of the platform 2 so that, upon extension of the piston out of the piston-cylinder unit, the platform 2 is raised. The piston-cylinder unit 10 is supplied preferably by means of supply lines, which are not illustrated in the drawings and are installed on the floor of a building, on which floor the pillars 8, 9 are also erected.

Disposed on both pillars 8, 9 are vertical gear racks or vertically tensioned chains 12, which extend over an extensive vertical portion of the pillars 8, 9 and into which gear racks or chains 12 mesh two gearwheels 13, 14, which are connected in a rotationally fixed manner to a torsion shaft 15. The torsion shaft 15 in turn is disposed in a freely rotatable manner between the two lateral struts 3, 4 of the platform 2, underneath the floor surface, so that during raising and lowering of the platform the gearwheels 13, 14 run uniformly in the gear racks or chains 12 of the two pillars 8, 9 and ensure synchronous operation at both sides of the platform. This torsion shaft 15 together with the gearwheels 13 and 14 that mesh with the gear racks or chains form a synchronizing device 16.

On the pillar that lies opposite the pillar having the piston-cylinder unit 10 a height-adjustable stop 17 is disposed, which limits the lowering movement of the platform in a downward direction and onto which the platform is set down once it has reached its rest position, for example the lowermost and/or the uppermost position.

The stop 17 after adjustment of its height may be disposed in a fixed manner on the pillar so that it merely supports the platform in the lowermost position thereof. It is however in particular also possible for the height of the stop to be adjusted by a drive in such a way that the stop always lies against the underside of the platform and supports the platform when the platform is in a rest position. In particular, the stop may be raised and lowered in synchronism with the platform so that in every position of the platform the platform is supported by the stop. This ensures that even in the event of a malfunction of the lifting device or the synchronizing device the platform is still reliably supported in its respective position.

The stop may be removable laterally from the path of motion of the platform, for example by means of an outward pivotal movement, to allow the platform to move past the stop when it is being lowered or raised. After the platform has passed, the stop may be moved back into the path of movement, for example by being pivoted inwards, and then this stop may support the platform in the occupied rest position.

A plurality of such platforms with corresponding pillars and piston-cylinder units may be disposed in a mutually adjacent manner, wherein it is advantageous if the piston-cylinder units 10 of two mutually adjacent platforms are disposed on the same pillar or in the same gap between the two platforms so that, given a greater number of mutually adjacent platforms, lifting devices are disposed always in every other gap. In any case, the stops are disposed at the opposite side to the lifting device so that in the lowered state the platforms at the one side rest on the stop and at the other side are supported jointly by the synchronizing device and the lifting device. The overall result is therefore a highly space-saving and less complicated construction of the parking arrangement, while nevertheless retaining full operating capability. 

1. A parking arrangement for motor vehicles, having at least one platform for receiving a motor vehicle that is mounted in a vertically displaceable manner on a guide can be raised and lowered by means of a lifting device, having a stop for limiting the lowering movement of the platform and having a synchronizing device for generating a similar raising and lowering movement at opposite sides of the platform, wherein the lifting device acts upon only one side of the platform and the stop is disposed only at the opposite side of the platform.
 2. A parking arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the synchronizing device comprises a rotatable torsion shaft, which extends from one side of the platform to the other and which on both sides of the platform by means of a respective gearwheel meshes with a stationary and vertically disposed gear rack or chain.
 3. A parking arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the lifting device is a hydraulically or pneumatically operating piston-cylinder unit.
 4. A parking arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the guide comprises two pillars, which are disposed at opposite sides of the platform and along which the platform is displaceable in a guided manner.
 5. A parking arrangement according to claim 2, wherein the guide comprises two pillars, which are disposed at opposite sides of the platform and along which the platform is displaceable in a guided manner.
 6. A parking arrangement according to claim 4, wherein the lifting device is disposed on one of the pillars.
 7. A parking arrangement according to claim 4, wherein the stop is disposed on one of the pillars.
 8. A parking arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the stop is adjustable.
 9. A parking arrangement according to claim 8, wherein the stop is height-adjustable in accordance with the respective position of the platform so that the platform at least in each rest position and preferably in every position rests on the stop.
 10. A parking arrangement according to claim 5, wherein the gear racks or chains of the synchronizing device are disposed on the two pillars.
 11. A parking arrangement according to claim 1, wherein it comprises a plurality of mutually adjacent, substantially identically constructed platforms and wherein the lifting devices of in each case two mutually adjacent platforms are disposed on the mutually opposing sides of the platforms. 